Mirror, mirror on the wall, why did you have to fall?
The best lessons are learned the hard way. This lesson could have been a lot harder to learn and I’m thankful no dogs were injured.
I’ve got a full-length mirror on the back of my bedroom door. It’s a recent addition — it’s only been up about six months. I didn’t give a second thought to the placement of the mirror; it made perfect sense to put it on the back of the bedroom door (or so I thought).
What I didn’t consider are the dogs. The bedroom has been their “crate” now that the Dane is too big for his actual crate and he can’t be trusted with very much freedom. I failed to consider that the dogs might play together while their “crated” in the bedroom. Or that maybe, in their exuberance, they might jump on the door when they hear me return home.
I understand my thinking: all of our dogs are aging — ours are 11, 10, and almost 8 years old. I failed to consider the adolescent Dane. He’s big. He’s clumsy. And when he gets wound up, he can almost take down a wall. Hindsight shows me clearly that the mirror stood very little chance of survival.
Then, add another adolescent Great Dane to the mix. We’re watching the sweet Siena (now Gracie) — which is just heaven (another blog post coming on that). Those two dogs are like wrecking balls on four legs!
The Danes were apparently goofing off — wrestling, chasing, body slamming. It happens frequently, and I’ve never given it a second thought. Until the mirror broke.
Panic!
Don’t move, dogs. Don’t move.
The shards were swept and vacuumed and are safely wrapped in newspaper and in the garbage now. But the vision of shredded paws, veins sliced open, and blood everywhere literally haunts me. What if one of them (or all of them) had gotten cut? Or a piece of glass stuck? My god, the nightmares…
The moral of the story: look at everything in your house with a fresh eye and answer the question “Could this hurt my dog(s) if it got broken?” If your dogs have access to kitchen and pantry areas, ask yourself “What would happen if my dog got into the cabinets or the pantry?” There are A LOT of things that could hurt your dog if they get into them. Glass shards are but one of the many things.
I’m thankful that I learned a lesson and the only cost was a full-length mirror. I’m not sure where it’s replacement will go, but I know it won’t go on the back of my bedroom door again.
What’s your biggest a-ha moment or “crisis averted” story? Please share your lessons learned, I think we can all learn from one another!